Portland is the largest city in Maine, on the southern end of the state. It may be a city, but don't let that keep you away. It is a treasure trove of Maine history, beauty, and culture.Probably my most favorite small city in the United…Read More

Portland is the largest city in Maine, on the southern end of the state. It may be a city, but don't let that keep you away. It is a treasure trove of Maine history, beauty, and culture.

Probably my most favorite small city in the United States, it is built on a slight hill that goes down to the waterfront, with a shipping and fishing industry that keeps it alive and well. The city is full of life, with great architecture, history, cultural events, wonderful sculptures through the streets and squares, old hotels, and two great museums.

Not only that, but the waterfront area, called the "Old Port," has been revitalized with renovations of the original old stone and brick buildings, many smart shops, and cafes and restaurants. It's fun just to walk along both sides of Commercial Street, with its many quaint cobblestone streets that shoot off it with narrow, charming places and nooks and crannies to explore.

The tourism and fishing industries abide side by side in this wonderful, quaint environment. Seagulls, ocean air, fish, hot sun, cool breeze, boats, and ships--so much to do and see. Portland has become the new young professional city, an overflow from the Boston area.

You must also go to the Casco Bay Ferry Lines on Commercial Street and take a ferry ride all around the beautiful islands of Casco Bay. You can also catch whale-watching trips. Prepare to spend a couple of days in Portland, as this will give you a mixture of both worlds, city and coast.Close

This was the first time the Norwegian Sea was visiting Portland and it showed a little. While we were docked instead of anchored, the process of getting off the ship was still very slow because the gangway was at a very steep angle and also because…Read More

This was the first time the Norwegian Sea was visiting Portland and it showed a little.

While we were docked instead of anchored, the process of getting off the ship was still very slow because the gangway was at a very steep angle and also because it had a weight limit.

Add to this the age and limited mobility of many of the passengers, and you can understand why getting off the ship took a while. Several people complained quite heavily. We were on vacation, and the crew was worried about the safety of the passengers, what's the problem?

Once off the ship, some people elected to rent a car from enterprise ("They pick you up") while Lisa and I hired another guide ($100 plus $10 tip for what was supposed to be a 4-hour tour, but stretched to 4.5 hours and would have gone longer if we wanted).

This was definitely a good choice, even though our guide wasn't that experienced. He brought us to half a dozen lighthouses, showed us a local family chain of sandwich shops offering a $5.50 lobster roll (terrific with lots of lobster) and then brought us to Freeport where we could shop at L.L. Bean and have a lobster lunch at a local restaurant. Well worth it!

Go to the Portland Head light. This is definitely a beautiful and photogenic light house. Make sure you walk around and photograph it from different angles.

Portland is a nice stop, particularly if you like lighthouses. Portland Head Light is spectacularly photogenic from either side.

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After sending these people my money for the last 25 years, I had to make the trip to Freeport to see the LL Bean store. So I drove up the interstate for about 20-25 miles, got off Exit 19, and headed into town on…Read More

After sending these people my money for the last 25 years, I had to make the trip to Freeport to see the LL Bean store. So I drove up the interstate for about 20-25 miles, got off Exit 19, and headed into town on Main Street.

I always had this image of an old rustic building standing alone in a bog somewhere; what I saw was an ultramodern building alongside what appeared to be 783 outlet stores of every retailer in the US. Parking was a bit scarce, but I found a free spot nearby off of Main Street, walked over, and entered.

God, I love this place!! All the cool stuff was in there!! There were tons of clothes for camping, fishing, hiking, biking, and travelling; there was an incredible bicycle section, and equally impressive camping area; backpacks, luggage, books, shoes, kayaks, canoes, fishing stuff. I could have spent days in this place, but only was here for two hours.

For you shoppers out there, and you know who you are, Freeport is your Nirvana. I will give them credit - it is tacky, but the buildings are in the old Maine style, so it is not too much of a visual nightmare.

As I have said, you can get there by using Exit 19 off of I-95, go right and then a quick left on Highway 1, which becomes Main Street. One great thing about using this exit is that on the way, you guessed it, there is a brewpub called Gritty McDuff's (or just Gritty's).

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Middle Street on the eastern waterfront of Portland, ME is a wonderful haven for fall travel. Enjoy a milkshake and french fries at my favoirite hangout Duck Fat (www.duckfat.com) the visit Rabelais Books (www.rabelaisbooks.com) for a quick read and Dean's Sweets for a chocolate…Read More

Middle Street on the eastern waterfront of Portland, ME is a wonderful haven for fall travel. Enjoy a milkshake and french fries at my favoirite hangout Duck Fat (www.duckfat.com) the visit Rabelais Books (www.rabelaisbooks.com) for a quick read and Dean's Sweets for a chocolate (www.deanssweets.com)and head out for dinner at Hugos restaurant (www.hugos.net)Close

Right across from Bachelder's Bed and Breakfast there is a little cafe that serves a real good breakfast and dinner. The price is just right and the coffee is great.…Read More

Right across from Bachelder's Bed and Breakfast there is a little cafe that serves a real good breakfast and dinner. The price is just right and the coffee is great.Close